In 1989, Carroll Shelby returned to his rear-drive roots with a one-year only model based on the midsize Dodge Dakota pickup. That makes this 1989 Dodge Shelby Dakota for sale on Hemmings.com something of a rare find, as only 640 of the trucks were painted in white, while another 860 were built in red. Under the hood, Shelby found a way to shoehorn in a 318-cu.in. V-8, giving the truck 175 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, enough to deliver a 16.5 second quarter mile at 82 MPH. Not only did the Shelby Dakota lay the groundwork for muscle trucks that would follow in its footsteps (like the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Chevrolet 454 SS and the GMC Syclone), but it continues to represent one of the most affordable paths to entry into the Shelby family. From the seller’s description:

The Shelby Dakota was a limited-production performance version of the Dodge Dakota Sport pickup truck. Offered by Shelby for 1989 only, it was his first rear wheel drive vehicle in many years. The Shelby Dakota started with a short-wheelbase, short-bed, standard-cab pickup. The 3.9 L V6 was removed in favor of the company’s 5.2 L V8 with throttle-body injection. On paper, the swap looked simple since both engines were similar, but the tight space in the Dakota’s engine compartment meant removing the engine-driven fan in front and using electric ones instead. Removing the belt-driven fan increased the stock 5.2L V8′s output by 5 hp (3.7 kW) up (to 175 hp) but torque was 270 ft•lbf (370 N•m). Special wheels and trim, as well as individually numbered dash plaques proclaimed the car’s heritage. At the time, it was the highest-performing pickup truck in existence, and would set the stage for later factory efforts like the GMC Syclone and Ford Lightning. Total Production: 1475. 480 in white and 995 in red. List price was $15,813 plus freight. This truck is in excellent condition and very desireable as a collectable.

9 Responses to “Hemmings Find of the Day – 1989 Dodge Shelby Dakota”

There will probably be a flurry of comments on the V-8 Dakota, which I didn’t think Shelby did anything special, but (Wiki says) in 1991, Dodge changed the grill and put a longer hood to accept the 5.2, so Shelby did indeed do something special in 1989. The V-8 Dakota was a cool truck.(mine had the V-6)